Your Stipend Your Stipend FAQs When will my stipend be paid into my account? Your stipend will be paid into your bank account via the Bankers' Automated Clearing System (BACS) on the last working day of the month (i.e. Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays). If the date changes for any reason, we will let you know. A monthly pay statement is sent to you setting out the calculation of your payment, detailing deductions for income tax, National Insurance etc. Your statement can be accessed via My View. The statement should reach you by pay day, even if it does not, the money will be credited to your bank account on pay day. What do I do if my bank details change? Log on to MyView to change your bank details. Whenever possible, you should give us at least a month's notice of any bank changes. What is my employment status? Holders of parochial appointments are not normally employed. What about my parochial expenses? We offer a helpful guide published by the Archbishops' Council. Click here for more information regarding Parochial expenses What about income tax?

As an office holder, you come within the Pay As You Earn system, where we are required by law to deduct tax from your stipend at source. Click here for more information Are there any tax-free allowances? Yes, part of your stipend may be paid free of tax and National Insurance in reimbursement of heating, lighting, cleaning and garden upkeep costs. Click here for more information regarding the HLC Scheme What about National Insurance? For national insurance purposes you are an `employed earner` and as such you are liable for Class 1 National Insurance contributions. Click here for more information What about my pension contribution? When you start on our payroll you should be automatically entered into the Church of England Pension Scheme. The scheme is a non-contributory scheme which means your funding body pays contributions on your behalf. Click here to vist the Chuch of England Pensions Board website What will my stipend be? Please contact the funding body of your stipend for confirmation of what the stipend should be - in most cases this is your diocesan board of finance.

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Resourcing Christian Community Action Information on best practice in providing Christian care in local communities Pilgrim Course A course for the Christian Journey - where people can explore the Christian faith together and see how it can be lived out each day. Church Growth Research and Development Church of England's work on church growth research and development that aims to help the Church allocate its resources effectively to facilitate its mission and growth Presence and Engagement The Church of England’s national programme equipping Christians for mission and ministry in the wonderful diversity of our multi faith society To Your Credit Information and resources to help churches and individuals act for a fairer financial system, including support for credit unions. Pay Check Favourite Share Pay Check Heather Tomlinson braves the important but awkward subject of how much we should pay our church leaders Some would say they get too much, others would argue the opposite. Heather Tomlinson braves the important but awkward subject of how much we should pay our church leaders. It’s a sensitive subject for us Brits, who don’t like to talk about salaries at the best of times. But the people who lead our spiritual communities, and to whom we submit, are also relying on us to pay their way.

We’re encouraged to tithe and give to the Church; a substantial part of this money goes to paying the salaries of people in leadership. But there is a wide difference in what they are paid across different churches. On the one hand, many pastors do their job for free, finding full-time work to pay their bills and looking on their ministry as a calling which needs no fees. On the other hand, there are some large churches which pay their pastors more than £100,000 (and even more than that, in the US). Then there are the thousands of ministers who work for mainstream denominations who all get the same, fairly average wage. So who gets it right? What does scripture say about it? And can we ever pay our pastors too much – or too little? There are those who don’t have to worry about this question too much – particularly those in the more traditional denominations. In the Church of England, all vicars are paid the same, except a few Archbishops (Rowan Williams, for example, earns just over £70,000).

The vicars’ standard payment is £22,360 per year – although it is substantially bolstered by a generous final salary pension and the provision of accommodation, which are often substantial and worth nearly £10,000 a year on average. Methodist ministers receive just over £20,000, but also receive housing benefits and other allowances to bolster their income. Catholic Priests are the least well paid – although they are unlikely to have a dependent family to support – at less than £10,000 a year. The Church of England calls its pay a stipend as it does not consider it a wage for work performed. ‘It is intended to free them from financial worry,’ says John Packer, Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, who chairs the committee responsible for remuneration. ‘Freedom needs to be provided... for ministers to perform their duties, it is not about rewarding people.’ There is debate within the Church of England as to whether people should be paid differentially, because those who live in more impoverished areas find that they are paid much more than their congregation, but those in more affluent areas can struggle, particularly in the South East.

It also means that the richer churches are subsidising the other areas, so that there can be churches in economically disadvantaged communities. ‘We have a ministry to the whole of the country,’ says Packer. ‘What we hope to do is provide reasonably generously an amount which will enable people to live their own lives free of financial worry, without being in any way overpaid. Unpaid Ministries There are also many unpaid preachers in the mainstream denominations. Many smaller denominations or networks do not have such specific terms and conditions. For people in the business of deciding pastor salaries, their concern is the lack of resources available to many pastors of independent churches in the UK. ‘We did have a certain level of concern about a minority of churches where frankly the pastor is either working and busking on the street or has [to have] their own independent income to support them, and they wouldn’t have made the minimum paid level,’ says Paul Lindsay at Christian Vocation, an organisation which helps Christians to find their calling in life.

‘It concerned me that their level of commitment and loyalty wasn’t being matched with appropriate reward.’ This is backed up in a survey conducted by Christian Vocation, which took place in 2008, where the lowest paid salary for a full-time church leader was just over £10,000. The average was just over £27,000. Concerns about finance can deter people from entering ministry. ‘If you come in with a family, the question is, “Can I live on the income this will generate?”’ says Lindsay. ‘The level of commitment to the call is far stronger than for a non-Christian looking for a job. But some would think, “Can I live?” Some back away. Some say irrespective of what I’m paid, I will do it because I’m called to do it, and I trust God to bring in what I need.’ The concern is mainly around churches where trustees decide what pastors are paid, which often depends on the level of donations. Stewardship is an organisation that aims to promote generosity in Britain’s churches. They highlight that many pastors don’t preach on giving because their wages rely on this.

‘In many churches, a church leader would be afraid to teach about giving and encourage generosity because it would be seen as asking for a pay rise, because pay comes from the support of the congregation,’ says Anthony McKernan, head of marketing at Stewardship. ‘Leaders often do not feel free to preach and teach on generosity because of what they might think. We would say we want to see money released for resourcing God’s kingdom, which is often about investing in people.’ Because so many pastors are very dedicated to their role, many will accept small salaries. ‘Most people go into Christian work out of a sense of calling, rather than as a career path to follow,’ says Steve Clifford, the general director of the Evangelical Alliance. ‘Because there is a sense of being called to this, people are willing to be put up with low salary and poor conditions. Therefore the church has a responsibility to look after the person bringing leadership.’ Some smaller churches don’t pay their pastors at all, but see some benefits in that. Carl Belcher and his wife Sarah run a small church in Lincoln, part of a local independent evangelical church called Threshold.

Their congregation has about 30 people attending, with many members unemployed or on low incomes, in one of the more economically disadvantaged areas in the city. They have taken the decision not to have any paid staff. ‘Employing a church leader isn’t always the most financially sustainable approach,’ says Belcher. ‘It certainly slows down church planting and the reproductive process. If you reach a certain financial strength, you get the means to pay someone. But if the heart of your DNA is empowering people to think missionally and disciple the people you come into contact with, you can do more. Creating a hierarchical or professional leadership… it has the potential to disempower the wider Christian community, and their thinking “I didn’t have all that much to contribute” rather than seeing mission as their responsibility.’ However he acknowledges the pressures of being an unpaid pastor. ‘If you have a full time job, you don’t have as much time to do what you want, and you have the pressures of juggling different responsibilities,’ he says. ‘The benefits are that it helps you make sure that what you do is part of genuine sacrifice and service, and not because you are getting paid.

I recognise that this approach works for us in the context we’re working in, but it’s not necessarily right for all.’ There is an argument that this approach is scriptural. St Paul clearly states that he worked to fund his ministry. However Clifford argues that this is not the only approach supported in scripture. ‘My reading of the New Testament is that Paul encourages churches in support of ministry and leadership,’ he says. ‘While on occasions Paul clearly was a tent maker, there are other occasions where he was supported and funded by churches and he encouraged people to be generous to people in leadership.’ When Jesus sent out the 72, he instructed them not to take money, but instead relying on the generosity of people they meet along the way. Steve Pierce, director for learning and stewardship for the Diocese of Liverpool, points out that the sending of the 72 encourages the evangelists to be willing to accept what others offer. ‘It is not just about going out with nothing, it is also about having the vulnerability to accept hospitality and to share their meal,’ he says. ‘The warnings are about the ways that wealth can seduce you.’ He also points out that we can’t expect our pastors to live in more poverty than we do.

‘We need to be careful that we are not expecting them to have a lifestyle that we would not ourselves choose,’ he says. High paying churches At the other extreme are churches where staff are handsomely rewarded for their work. Hillsong Church London discloses that it pays one staff member over £120,000, and two other members of staff more than £60,000. Abundant Life Church in Bradford pays someone over £60,000. Kingsway International Christian Centre was in the secular media several years ago for paying their pastor handsomely. This information is publicly available from the Charity Commission, because most churches are registered charities, and in the UK they must disclose staff earning more than £60,000. However it does not have to name who receives the salary – unlike publicly traded companies. It can be argued that paying large salaries is scriptural. In 1 Timothy 5:17, Paul states that elders in the church are ‘worthy of double honour’, which some interpret as meaning pastors should be paid twice the average salary. It is also worth noting that these churches often donate significant amounts to mission and outreach, and receive large incomes from the tithes.

They also have large congregations, with the extra responsibility that comes along with that. ‘The remuneration paid to other ministers and pastoral staff, as in most organisations, is essentially determined by considering an employee’s qualifications, years of experience and level of responsibility,’ says a Hillsong spokesman. ‘The remuneration paid to the senior pastors is determined by a board and recognises the extraordinary commitment made over many years and the responsibility to lead and provide direction to a large congregation.’ Hillsong’s congregation has grown to 6,500 and their leaders also have a lot of responsibility internationally and for mission activities. Steve Clifford points out that many large churches are highly complex organisations, with many businesses and ministries involved, and therefore they need a highly skilled pastor. He is reluctant to state what is an acceptable salary, but advises churches to think carefully about paying large salaries. ‘I do think that leaders need to exercise caution in relation to the level of financial support they are receiving,’ he says. ‘It needs to be appropriate to the congregation that they are in and what the church can afford.’ High-paying churches are often associated with ‘prosperity gospel’ teaching, rightly or wrongly, and this could affect their approach to finances.

One senior pastor drives a Porsche; the image can be very modern and fitting in with today’s materialistic culture. ‘One of the difficulties is that if you are teaching prosperity gospel, the leader needs to model that,’ says Pierce. ‘If you are talking about abundance and God’s blessings, you need to model that. There is a relationship with what you are teaching. Your teaching also justifies your lifestyle.’ Prosperity gospel teaching is controversial, although it is preached in many churches across the world, and associated with many famous ministries. Some forms of this teaching were recently strongly criticised by theologians within the Lausanne Movement, which has observed the teaching becoming more prevalent in Africa in recent years, as well as in the West. ‘The Bible warns against greed from beginning to end, and 1 Peter warns elders not to seek unfair material reward – ie to work for money,’ says Dr Chris Wright, who heads the Theology Working Group of the Lausanne Movement.

‘So it is certainly wrong for individuals to demand to be paid more than an adequate remuneration – perhaps not more than the average or median of their congregation – or for churches to over pay their pastors – which they may do merely to boost their own sense of importance – since it exposes them to temptations that the Bible warns against.’ This temptation has been around way before the Christian church began, with the Sons of Eli in 1 Samuel 2 seeking the best part of the tithe, one of the sins that lead to their demise. This temptation is most acute in the US. In the United States, a popular ministry can mean big bucks. This is not necessarily abused; for example Rick Warren has benefited so highly from his successful range of books that he says he has become a ‘reverse tither’, keeping 10% of his income and donating the rest. He also paid back the salaries his church had paid him in previous years – which was $110,000 (£68,100) per year. However some preachers have attracted the attention of the United States Senate, which is investigating six high-profile ministries – including those of Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn – for allegedly lavish lifestyles.

Last year there was a controversy over a pastor who had a reported $450,000 salary package at a New York church. There are a number of organisations who have sprung up to address the perceived financial issues in the American churches, including the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, Ministrywatch.com and Wall Watchers, but they are all voluntary. Since the increased scrutiny, Joyce Meyer Ministries has joined the ECFA and has been praised for her transparency, and some of the ministries, including that of Benny Hinn, are co-operating with the Senate enquiry. It is possible the outcome of the investigation will lead to new legislation governing the running of religious organisations in the US. Regulation There are more checks and balances in the UK than there are in the US. When a church is a registered charity, as is usually the case in the UK, there are limits to the amounts that can be paid to pastors. The Charity Commission regulates all charitable organisations in this country and has powers to investigate if someone expresses concern to them about how a charity is being run.

Their guidelines, in a document entitled ‘Faith in good governance’ state that paying ‘very generous salaries’, ‘excessive expenses’ or paying for the ‘enhancement of the leader’s personal reputation’ are not allowed – although no specifics are given. It is very unusual for the Commission to investigate churches, which indicates that abuses of finances are rare, and may be more related to misunderstandings of charity rules than deliberate behaviour. When it investigated one large church, there were concerns about how money had been spent, and conflicts of interest between a pastor being both a charity trustee and the person in charge. Since then the Evangelical Alliance has developed documents to help churches to address this issue, to avoid it happening again in the future. However the potential for mismanagement can go further. A different, and more unusual case took place in the 1990s. An investigation into a church by the Charity Commission found ‘evidence of misconduct and mismanagement, including significant unauthorised salary payments and other benefits provided to the Pastor and his wife, as well as a number of the trustees.’ The pastor was later jailed for sexual offences, which he denied. He and his wife have since set up a new church which continues to operate.

Transparency According to Clifford, further regulation in the UK is unnecessary. Instead, he recommends that we encourage more openness in churches so that the congregation is clearly shown how the churches’ finances are spent and come together to support this. Anyone can look at charity accounts through the Charity Commission website, but Clifford advocates further openness, such as holding open meetings to discuss the church’s finance. ‘The key word in this is transparency,’ says Clifford. ‘So… people are aware of what support [pastors] areexperiencing, and there is a corporate sense that it is appropriate. It is important that decisions being made… there is some sense of arms-length distance between those making decisions and those in responsibility.’ He argues churches are more transparent than they were 10 years ago. He believes that churches are best held accountable within a wider group of churches, through membership of a denomination or a group like the Evangelical Alliance. However some denominations do not dictate how funds should be spent; for example Assemblies of God does not set salaries, although they give guidelines. But they would not tell a church what to pay its pastor. Transparency is biblical according to Pierce, who says this is particularly important to be honest before the general public.

‘Paul says clergy are entitled to receive financial support, but there is a genuine issue around the importance of churches been transparent about what they are doing about finance,’ he says. ‘In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul is very clear that he is looking to some kind of transparency.’ This passage, talking about collecting money for suffering Christians, states; ‘We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.’ However Pierce points out that if we disagree with the way our tithes are being spent, it might be the time to find a different church rather than withhold giving or complain about the situation. ‘On the flip side, at what point are we entitled to put conditions on what God has called us to, and what is the nature of a gift if there are conditions and money upheld?,’ he says. ‘If people have a difficulty with what the church is doing with money, we should address this, not just withhold giving as a form of protest. If this situation is unresolved, it may be time to look at another church.’ What to pay your pastor?

If you have a role to play in setting the salary of your pastor, what are the benchmarks? Here are some suggestions made by people interviewed in this article. • Salary of a Headteacher of a similarly sized school, because the role is similar • The average of the salaries of the congregation you are serving • The average for a pastor in your area (or upper quartile, if you wish to reward your pastor) For support in making these decisions, or information on giving and generosity in the Church, Christian Vocation and Stewardship offer advice and information Scripture The following passages have something to say on pastor’s pay: 1 Samuel 2, Nehemiah 13:10-11, Luke 8:3, Luke 10:1-7, 1 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 8, 2 Corinthians 11:7-11, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, 1 Peter 5:1-4, 3 John 1:5-8 Further information: Your money and your life K Tondeur and S Pierce (SPCK). Includes chapters on giving from a Christian perspective. The Holy Spirit is not for sale J Lee Grady (Chosen).

A challenging and strongly worded investigation into the problems of parts of the American church. Provides information on American ministries and their transparency about financial issues, as well as guidance and resources. For UK regulation of charities and charity accounts (See particularly charity-commission.gov.uk/Charity_requirements_ guidance/Specialist_guidance/Faith/faithgov.aspx) BBC News | UK | Who wants to be a vicar? Tuesday, 14 November, 2000, 13:25 GMT Who wants to be a vicar? Vicars are seeking a 50% pay increase for the first time in the Church of England's 400-year history. But what does the job entail? A trade union which represents 1,500 clergy in England and Wales says the average allowance of �16,400 is not a living wage. In response to the Church of England's current pay review, the union wants the income of parish priests to match those of priests who work in cathedrals. How do the clergy earn their money in an increasingly secular age? And what are the fringe benefits? Duties Being a vicar is more than just a Sunday job.

Each day typically starts and finishes with personal prayers. Meetings, meetings and more meetings Sundays are taken up with services at 8am, 10 or 11am, and 6.30pm - and some vicars tend to more than one parish. Between services, the vicar may visit housebound parishioners. As well as spreading the word of God and tending to parishioners' spiritual needs, vicars also carry out a number of secular tasks. They are expected to keep parish accounts, chair meetings and run fundraising campaigns. They may also sit on the board of governors of a church-run school, or head a community project for the homeless or the elderly. As the Church of England is keen to turn around falling attendance figures, the vicar often leads a team of lay volunteers charged with taking the word to the streets - modern-day missionary work. Pay Diocesan bishops: �30,120 Archbishop of Canterbury: �55,660 The basic stipend for a parish priest is about �16,000 - less than the average salary in the UK, but more than double the minimum wage.

Although vicars collect fees for conducting weddings and funerals, these go to the diocese to fund stipends. Fees range from about �66 for a service in a crematorium to �120 for a graveside burial, up to about �140 for a wedding, according to the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union's clergy section. Conditions Involves weekend and evening work. Vicars are entitled to up to six Sundays off a year, a week of rest following the Easter and Christmas rushes, and four weeks paid holiday a year. Benefits The overall package considerably sweetens the salary on offer. Vicars are put up in rectories, which are often "very beautiful but too large" houses near the church, says Reverend Dr Graham Blyth, the union spokesman. Sundays may be taken up with up to five services However, this means many join the housing market for the first time when they retire. The Church of England pensions committee runs a scheme to help retired priests part-purchase properties. This usually involves a move to another part of the country - in part due to the availability of properties, in part because vicars are encouraged to retire outside the community in which they ministered.

The parish is also expected to reimburse in full the costs of office, such as transport, administration costs and telephone bills. Vicars in low-income parishes may contribute to these costs from their own pocket. Rewards Money is one thing, but it is unlikely to be the motivation behind many vicars' decisions to become men or women of the cloth. The main reward lies elsewhere. Search BBC News Online Clergy of Church of England (in England) Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki 12 Related Wiki Articles Definitions The incumbent of a parish is the person in charge of its spiritual well being, the "cure of souls". He held the benefice with its income, mostly derived from its land, and might be a rector, receiving a tithe or ten per cent of the crops and grain, hay and timber (the great tithes) and of new born animals, wool, garden and other produce of the parish (the small tithes) or a vicar, receiving only the small tithes.

The estimated value of each benefice in 1535 was set out in the Valor Ecclesiasticus, printed in six volumes by the Record Commissioners in 1810-34 [FHL only has Diocese of Llandaff on Film 1696528.1]. The incumbent may be known colloquially as a parson and live in the parsonage. Before the 17th century, curate was often another word for parson. Although a clergyman is technically ordained as a priest, the use of the general word priest to denote a minister of the Church of England (or Anglican Church) declined after the Reformation, being more often used in the Roman Catholic and Eastern churches. Anglican clergy were described as clerks in holy orders or clerks (a writing clerk was a "writer"). Until the 18th century a clerk who had been to university was, in Latin, called Magister. A non-graduate clerk was Dominus, a word often translated as Sir, but this does not mean that he was a knight.

The person who originally founded, built or endowed the church had the right as its patron to make presentation to the bishop of a suitable person to be its incumbent. This right (called the advowson) descended to the patron's heirs and might be bought and sold like any other property. A college might thus buy the advowsons of lucrative benefices in order to provide positions for its future Fellows. The descent of the ownership of the advowson is recorded in the older county histories and in the Victoria County Histories. The person presented, who might well be a relative of the patron, had usually already been ordained by his local bishop as a deacon or priest in order to celebrate mass and hear confession. He was supposed to be over 21 and of legitimate birth. It is said that the usual age at ordination was 23 years and six months. Following approval by the bishop, the priest is then admitted to the benefice. Institution follows, putting him in charge of its spiritual cure, and then induction, which gives him rights to the land and income.

The two acts are usually combined in a ceremony at the parish church (though institution may take place elsewhere) when the induction is symbolised by the archdeacon putting the bell rope into the hands of the newly instituted priest and by the latter tolling the bell. Chaplains and curates were licensed by the bishop and, not having benefices, were not instituted or inducted. Curates, who may be assistant, temporary or stipendiary, assist the rector or vicar and are employed and paid by him. A perpetual curate, however, was nominated to a benefice by the lay owner or impropriator of its great or rectorial tithes. This lay patron kept the income from the benefice and paid (or granted land to) the curate. The latter needed only a licence from the bishop and was "perpetual" as he could only be removed by the withdrawal of that licence. A chapel of ease could be established in the outlying parts of a parish provided the bishop, patron and incumbent agreed.

This might be convenient for the patron but the curate of such a place was paid from the income of the "mother church" and disputes frequently arose about the division of fees, tithes and the costs of repairs to the benefice house and the two churches. Outline History The Reformation halved the number of clergy in England and there was a severe shortage in the second half of the 16th century, many being quite poorly educated. In Lincolnshire in 1576 less than a third were thought adequately qualified. In 1585 it was said that only about seven per cent of parishes could provide sufficient income to support a clergyman, and most clergy served several parishes at the same time, an evil called pluralism. In this period, unlicensed preaching and intrusion into the cure of others were the subjects of many cases in the church courts. The latter also heard cases against the clergy for perceived laxness in personal life and in church and parish matters. By the 1630s, however, it seems that most parishes, at least in the south of England, had a clergyman with a university education. Most stemmed from the middle ranks of society.

In the north of England and the north Midlands, however, many clergy came from humbler social backgrounds, were educated locally, often in recently founded grammar schools, and never went to university. That broad generalisation seems to have been valid even into the 19th century. From the 18th century onwards the younger sons of country gentleman came to fill the majority of the higher and best remunerated positions in the church (as they did in the state), though there were always occasional exceptions. From the 17th century many more clergy were ordained than could be provided with permanent benefices and the less well connected clergy spent their lives as assistant curates doing duty for others, often supplementing an inadequate stipend by acting as the local schoolmaster. Many clergy who were thought inadequate by the Puritans were driven from their parishes during the Commonwealth (1649-60) and in 1662 many Puritan ministers suffered the same fate. Edmund Calamy's account of those in the second group, published in 1702, prompted John Walker's account of the "sufferings" of those in the first group in 1714.

These accounts were corrected and revised by the Reverend A.G. Matthews as Calamy Revised (1934) and Walker Revised (1948) [not in FHL]. From 1704, Queen Anne's Bounty (the records of which are at The National Archives, Kew, with an index by parish) provided a fund to help parishes with an income of less than £50 a year, but in the 18th century a curate might consider himself "passing rich with forty pounds a year". It was not until 1796 that the minimum stipend for a curate was raised to £75 per annum. Although the position slowly improved, it was found in 1833 that 47% of the parishes in England and Wales could not provide a reasonable standard of living of about £200 a year. Many were worth less than £100. The pluralism of earlier days remained a problem, the more desirable parishes often being held jointly with other offices by those with the best connections.

Following the appointment of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1835, however, a series of reforms attempted a more equal distribution of endowments. These Commissioners were united with Queen Anne's Bounty in 1948 to form the present Church Commissioners. The standard of university education declined in the 18th century and, for the clergy at least, did not greatly improve until the mid-19th century. Many university students, whose future incomes from family benefices were guaranteed, were targeted by moneylenders and the debts they then incurred were a frequent problem to them in later life. The general overstocking of the profession continued. Non-graduate clergy from humbler backgrounds suffered the most, finding secure benefices, a regular income and advancement difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. The situation was made worse when non-university training became possible with the foundation of the first theological colleges at Lampeter in Cardiganshire (1822), St Aidan's at Birkenhead, and St Bees in Cumberland (1817).

The products of these institutions found temporary places as curates to absentees and pluralists and then, perhaps more permanently but still as curates, in the large industrial parishes of northern England and south Wales and in the colonies. By 1890 a quarter of the clergy had been educated at such colleges. The north/south divide remained. In 1865 some eighty percent of new clergy in the south had been to university; in the north the figure was only forty per cent. Diocesan Records of Clergy Early bishops kept bishops registers briefly recording the ordination of priests and the institution of clerks to benefices. Loose documents such as those by which patrons formally presented clerks to vacant livings (presentation deeds) and the notarially attested declarations by clerks resigning their benefices (resignations) begin to survive from the late 15th century. These were filed separately. At the same time the bishops registers themselves were subdivided into various series, more organised systems developing in the late 16th century. The registers normally travelled with the bishop and are often incomplete for the first half of the 17th century.

Stray ordination papers may exist from the 16th century but are not frequent until the 1670s, and do not survive regularly until reforms in 1716. They should then contain a signification of the name and abode of the candidate, a certificate (or Si quis) that his intention to enter holy orders has been announced in his parish church and not objected to, letters testimonial of good life and behaviour from three beneficed clergy (which may include mention of his education), proof of age in the form of a baptismal certificate or an explanation as to why one is not available, and perhaps a title proving that he can support himself or has been offered a curacy at so much per annum. If he has already been ordained a deacon in another diocese, this may be confirmed by letters dimissory from its bishop. The bishops had power to dispense with or licence breaches of canon law and did so in cases of bastardy or insufficiency of age at ordination. The bishop also licensed preachers and curates. A curate needed a nomination from the incumbent he was to assist and proof of ordination.

Records may exist from the 16th century in a general register of licences, in ordination records, in subscription books or even in visitation books, but none are complete. There may be separate registers for each of these categories from the early 19th century. All the above records, where they survive, are found in those record offices marked with a "D" for "Diocesan" in the official Record Repositories in Great Britain [11th edition, 1999, FHL 942 J54r]. Archbishops' Records Licences to hold livings in plurality or to live away from the benefice (non-residence) might be issued by bishops (particularly after an Act of 1803) but dispensations for plurality were more frequently issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury through his Faculty Office.

See the Index to the Act Books of the Archbishop of Canterbury, 1663-1859, published in the Index Library (British Record Society) volumes 55 (surnames A-K; 1929) and 63 (surnames L-Z and index of places; 1938) [FHL 942 B4b]. By an Act of 1529, chaplains can be appointed by archbishops, some officers of state, noblemen, and their widows. Certificates of appointment, dismissal or death, from 1660, also registered by the Faculty Office, are indexed by the names of those making the appointment. The Faculty Office records are at Lambeth Palace Library. Institution Books Following the induction of a new vicar or rector, the profits of the benefice for the first year, its first fruits, and one tenth of its annual income, the tenths, were, after 1534, payable to the Crown.

The records are at The National Archives, Kew (E331-347) and include Clergy Institution Books 1556-1838 arranged by county (by diocese from 1661) and then by place. Indexed by name, they show the names of the previous incumbent and the patron and the reason for the vacancy. There are also bishops' certificates of institutions to benefices 1544-1912 (E331). University Graduates Those clergy who were educated at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are listed in Joseph Foster, Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1886 (8 volumes, 1891-2) [FHL 942 57/O1 J2ox] and J. and J.A. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses from the earliest times to 1900 (10 volumes, 1922-7) [FHL 942 49/C1 J2c]. Entries show the student's age at entrance and the degrees obtained.

The father's name, place of residence and status generally appears but is lacking in many early instances and, at some Cambridge colleges, even in the 19th century. They may also provide the name of the school attended and some outline of the subsequent career of the student, where this has been identified with reasonable certainty. From the late 18th century the date and diocese of ordination of those students entering the Church is usually included. The volumes for Cambridge are in general much more detailed than those for Oxford. Where the register of the college attended has been published this may give additional detail. Clergy Lists The names of many beneficed clergy in the period 1800-1840, with the dates of their institution, are given in Joseph Foster, Index Ecclesiasticus 1800-1840 (1890) [not in FHL]. These details seem to have been taken from the Institution Books mentioned above but, if that is the case, they are not complete.

The names of the beneficed clergy in each parish, arranged by name and by parish, were printed in the Clerical Guide, first published in 1817, and in the Clergy List, published from 1841 [FHL has copies for the years 1844, 1862, 1868, 1871, 1873, 1899, 1912 at 942 E4kLy]. It was not until 1858, with the appearance of the first edition of John Crockford's The Clerical Directory, that a more detailed biographical listing of all the clergy was given. Known from 1876 as Crockford's Clerical Directory, it came out annually (but now only appears every two or three years) and provides biographical details of all ordained clergy of the Church of England, the Church of Wales, the Episcopal Church of Scotland, and (until 1985) the Church of Ireland, anywhere in the world.

It shows the diocese in which ordination took place (something which in earlier times may be difficult to find), sometimes the place of education or training, positions or benefices previously held, and the current address. An index by parish shows its population, the benefice's income, and the name of the patron. Recent editions may include the clergyman's date of birth [FHL has copies for many years from 1858 on fiche and film in British and Irish Biographies 1840-1940 and subsequently at 942 E4c]. Many county and local histories contain lists of incumbents by parish but there are several works that list institutions in specific areas. They include: Hampshire: F.T. Madge,Hampshire Inductions in the Archdeaconry of Winchester 1660-1846 (1918) [not in FHL]. Hereford: E.N. Dew,Diocese of Hereford: Institutions, &c., 1539-1900 (1923) [not in FHL].

London: George Hennessy, Novum Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense: or London Diocesan Clergy Succession from the Earliest Times to 1898 (1898) [not in FHL]. Sussex: George Hennessy,Chichester Diocese Clergy Lists ... to 1900 (1900) [not in FHL]. Northamptonshire and Rutland: Henry Isham Longden, Northamptonshire and Rutland Clergy from 1500 (16 volumes, 1938-52) [FHL 942.5 D3; film 1426209-10]. Somerset: F.W. Weaver, Somerset Incumbents 1300-1730 (1889) [FHL 942.38 K2; film 990072.1].

Wiltshire: Sir Thomas Phillipps, Institutiones Clericorum in Comitatu Wiltoniae 1297-1810 (2 volumes, 1825) [not in FHL]. Yorkshire: York Clergy Ordinations have been published by the Borthwick Institute of the University of York in a series of volumes: 1561-1642 (2000), 1662-1699 (1998), 1700-1749 (1998), 1750-1799 (2000) and 1800-1849 (2001) [FHL has them at 942.74 K2]. Archbishops, Bishops, Archdeacons, etc. A Calendar of the Principal Ecclesiastical Dignitaries of England and Wales was published by John le Neve as Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae in 1716. This included only those who rose to be archdeacons, bishops, archbishops, etc.

It was revised in 1854 but a new edition is being published by the Institute of Historical Research at London University, diocese by diocese, in three series. The first series of this new Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae, 1066-1300, is almost complete in ten volumes (1968 etc), the second series 1300-1541 is complete in twelve volumes (1962-7) and the third series 1541-1857 is almost complete in 11 volumes (1969 etc.) [FHL has all available volumes at 942 B4nf]. Some Other Records Only the main records since 1540 that may lead to a clergyman's place of origin are described above, but there are many others that may throw light on his career and family, not least those found in the parish where he served. Many marriages and deaths of beneficed clergy appear in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1731-1868. Several charities for the relief of relatives of poor clergy were founded in the 17th and 18th centuries, e.g.

the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy (1655, with records at the London Metropolitan Archives). The sons of a deceased clergyman may have been educated at the Clergy Orphan School (1751) and its published Register of the Clergy Orphan School for Boys 1751 to 1896 edited by M.J. Simmonds (1897) [not in FHL], gives their dates of birth and admission and where their fathers served. The widows may have gone to some institution such as Bromley College, Kent (1666, with some records at Kent Archives Office). Bishops may be warned against fraudulent and unsatisfactory clergy by their archbishops and the Caution Books 1758-1884 of the Archbishops of Canterbury, for example, are at Lambeth Palace Library.

Clergy of the Church of England Database (CCEd) A collaborative project of Kings College London, the University of Kent at Canterbury and the University of Reading, to create a relational database documenting the careers of all Church of England clergymen between 1540 and 1835 has made great progress from the official records of a majority of dioceses and is freely available at Clergy of the Church of England Database . Bibliography Peter Towey, My ancestor was an Anglican clergyman (Society of Genealogists, 2006) [FHL 942 D27tpa]. Rosemary O'Day, The English clergy: the emergence and consolidation of a profession 1558-1642 (1979) [not in FHL]. H. Sharp, 'Wolf at the church door: sons of the clergy (and their wives and daughters too)' in Family Tree Magazine (UK), vol. 25, no 6 (March 2009), pages 36-39, lists the records of the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy at the London Metroplitan Archives.

Adapted from an article by Anthony Camp on 'Clergymen of the Church of England' in Family Tree Magazine (UK; ), vol. 17, no. 3 (January 2001), pages 20-21.

Question: What is the salary paid to a Church of England clergyman called?
Answer: STIPEND